Investing in Calderdale’s heritage

Exciting plans to invest over £1 million to make Todmorden Town Hall a thriving heritage destination for public events, concerts, exhibitions and celebrations will be discussed by Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 4 September.

“Keeping Calderdale’s heritage alive is really important to local people and the Council. We’re investing in conservation, regeneration and creating new uses for our historical features across the borough, as we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy them for generations to come. We also want people to spend more time in our towns, invest and boost our local economy.

“Todmorden Town Hall is just one of Calderdale’s historic gems, and we continue to work with the community to breathe new life into the building. Projects like this are part of a whole package of impressive borough-wide improvements, from the transformed Piece Hall and new Central Library and Archives, to unprecedented investment in transport. It’s all about opening up our towns more to local people, visitors and investors.”

Cabinet will be asked to approve the submission of a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an estimated grant of over £1 million, to support the continued development of the Grade I listed Todmorden Town Hall.

If successful, the grant would help to enhance and preserve the heritage of the building’s striking internal features and improve its accessibility as a place where local people and visitors want to spend time. Proposals include:

Creating a new public entrance at the Todmorden Market side of the building, where people would be welcomed by the splendour of the Victorian lobby and grand staircase.

Increasing the size and impact of the heritage centre.

Improving the main hall by restoring its historical features and boosting the sound quality for events and concerts.

Enhancing the Council chamber and court room to showcase their heritage and create a modern, multi-purpose space.

Increasing the everyday use of the Town Hall by introducing office and meeting space for local organisations.

This would build on the excellent work in recent years to transform the Town Hall, which includes the creation of a heritage centre and popular volunteer-led tours. The HLF funding would add to the £121,000 which the Todmorden Development Board has already committed to restore the main hall.

Calderdale Council, Todmorden Town Council, Todmorden Information Centre and Todmorden Pride are currently developing detailed proposals for the HLF application, which will determine the grant required over the coming months.